


of souls and journeys

by corset



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Mute Red, Other, Soulmate AU, clair is the 8th kanto gym leader, giovanni just doesn't exist, soulmates aren't inherently romantic so it's up to you how to read this, they're thirteen in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 03:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9417197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corset/pseuds/corset
Summary: they said she only one soulmate, and she was determined to prove them wrong.alternately: a tale of three young pokemon trainers and how they find one another.





	

Everyone only gets one soulmate.

That’s what everyone says - the news, the movies, the history books, her parents. One soulmate per person; one person who with a soul that compliments yours like nobody else could. Occasionally, there was the rare person who didn’t have a soulmate at all, but if you had a soulmate? You only got one.

Your soulmate wasn’t always romantic - sometimes there were the rivals who pushed each other to do better, sometimes there were the best friends who were with each other to the end, sometimes it was the perfect set of business partners. It could be anyone, and souls could be matched for a number of reasons. But no matter the reason: you only had one. 

You would know you found them when you met the person with the mark that complimented yours - every one with a soulmate was born with part of an image (on the same location on their body), one that would be completed when they met their supposed other half. It would be faded at first, and faded if you were apart - but it would always be there. You would also just know, people said, you would feel it somehow. A physical reaction, one that’s different for everyone.

Leaf never believed the lore that she would only be allowed one soulmate, not for a second - the experts had to be wrong, they had to. Ever since she was small and first learned about soulmates, the first thing she said was “Great! I can’t wait to find all of them.” She didn’t understand why her parents were shaking their heads, telling her that she would only be finding one. Because, you know, she only had one.

It was an argument for years, and eventually, her parents gave up. _She’ll learn eventually_ , they figured. _Once she finds hers, she’ll know. She’s only got the one._

She didn’t mind that they gave up - because she was determined to prove them wrong. She never was able to explain why it was such a fire inside of her, why she was so determined to prove everyone wrong. But she just _knew_ , there was no way she only had one soulmate. Every person who doubted her was just another person stoking the flames, another reason to keep on going. 

Everything that made Leaf, well, _Leaf_ was just too big for one person to match - the way she wholeheartedly threw herself into anything and everything she did, the way she never backed down from a challenge, the way she always seemed to be just one step ahead of people around her. She was confident that she had at least two soulmates, and she wouldn’t rest until she found them both.

Her mark, emblazoned on her wrist for as long as she could remember, was the outline of half a pokeball. She wondered what it would like when it was done - would it be colored in? Would it be a regular pokeball or another sort entirely? She needed to find out. She didn’t care if her soulmates were rivals, or lovers, or something else entirely - but she needed to know that they were out there, that there was more than just the one she had been promised.  
\--

She meets her first soulmate when they’re thirteen. She’s made her way down from Viridian to Pallet, ready to get her first pokemon from Professor Oak. She snatches up the bulbasaur - the last starter available, squirtle and charmander had apparently been taken by two young trainers before her. She doesn’t mind - she hadn’t had her sights set on any particular pokemon and if she got the bulbasaur, she would just raise it to become the strongest. 

After she’s already picked up her pokeball, released the cute little pokemon from it so she could take a look, another trainer comes bounding in. She ignores the trainer for a bit, stooping down to pet her new companion. He seems pleased, and she knows they’re going to be good friends. 

“Gramps!” The other new trainer yells. “Where’s the pokemon you promised me?”

That captures Leaf’s interest, so she looks up. She decides she hates him, right in that moment. The entitlement just rolled off of that kid in waves, and she wasn’t a fan.

“Now, now, Green. I’m afraid I can’t play favorites just because you’re my grandson. The three pokemon I’d set aside have already been claimed.”

“What! No way!” Green says, obviously angry, when he spots Leaf with a bulbasaur by her side and a pokeball in her hands. He runs up to her, and snatches it. She feels a spark run through her veins, and she figures it’s her body having a reaction to how much she hates this guy. “I want this pokemon.”

Professor Oak starts to intervene - he manages to get the pokeball back from Green, at least - but Leaf shakes her head. “It’s okay,” She smiles. “Why don’t we let bulbasaur decide? If he thinks he’d be happier with your grandson, then I don’t want to get in the way of that. I could just start my journey another day, right?”

“Ah, well, alright then - if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure!” She promises, and she looks over at Green, who also seems pleased with this arrangement. He seems confident the bulbasaur will pick him. But she has a gleam in her eyes, feeling like it will work out in her favor, no matter the result.

She sits back down on the floor by the bulbasaur, scratches the bottom of his chin and softly whispers “Take your time, okay bud?”

The bulbasaur nods, and wanders around the room between the two trainers - Leaf is in her spot on the floor, Green is standing confidently with his arms crossed. The pokemon stands in the middle of the room and looks back and forth between the two. 

“Jeez, will it hurry up and make a decision already?” Green asks harshly. 

Leaf can’t help but smirk as bulbasaur dashes over to her at his outburst, clearly upset, and hops onto her lap. The pokemon nuzzles her cheek, and Leaf can’t help but smile. She’s happy that her pokemon chose her, and happy that she wiped that smug grin off of Green’s face.

“Well, it seems like bulbasaur's made a decision.” Professor Oak says, nodding. He walks over to Leaf and hands over the pokeball. “Take good care of him.”

“I will, I promise!”

“Hey, wait!” Green complains. “No fair! She cheated!”

“Young man,” says Professor Oak sternly. “Might I remind you that she was here on time to pick up her pokemon? And Bulbasaur picked Leaf, there’s nothing more to it. Now, Green. I have a few other pokemon I’d captured for research, but they could make a good first pokemon. I can give you one, if you’d like.”

“Fine!” Green says, still a bit pouty. “I didn’t want a stupid bulbasaur anyway. But - Leaf, or whatever your name is, I want a battle as soon as Gramps here gives me my pokemon! I’ll prove to you that mine is stronger.”

“If that’s okay with bulbasaur, it’s okay with me!” She says, looking down towards him. He nods, and she looks back up at Green. “Looks like you’re on!”

The professor shakes his head, mumbling something about the rambunctious youth today, and holds out a pokeball to Green. The boy quickly grabs it, yelling “Go! Pokeball!” before his grandfather can tell them to take it outside. 

An eevee appears, and he smirks. He knows that Eevee is a super rare pokemon, and he already feels like he got the best end of this deal. 

“Eevee! Tackle, now!” He yells, hoping the quick start will be enough to throw Leaf off her game. It isn’t.

“Bulbasaur! Dodge, and try using vine whip to throw eevee across the room!” She shouts, fast on the uptake and more determined than before to take Green’s sense of entitlement down a notch or two. 

In one fell swoop, the battle’s over as quickly as it’s started - bulbasaur manages to throw Eevee up against a wall, fainting it. Leaf’s almost disappointed - she felt such a thrill calling out the command, but now she knows her bulbasaur is strong and that she can win. She likes the feeling, and in that moment - she becomes determined to become a top pokemon trainer, just as she’s determined to find however many soulmates she’s got.

Green storms out to find a pokemon center, mumbling something about “beginner’s luck.” 

Leaf is busy congratulating her bulbasaur on a job well done, petting it when she spies that the mark on her wrist is different.

_Oh._

“Hey, Leaf - could I ask you a favor?” 

Professor Oak’s voice pulls her out of her thoughts. “Um. Yeah, sure.”

“It seems my grandson forgot to take the pokedex I set aside from him, can you take it to him in the pokemon center? I’m sure he’ll be there for a little while.”

“Yeah, I can do that!” She agrees. She might be annoyed at the pompous jerk she just battled with… but by the looks of it, he might be one of her soulmates. A good excuse to see him again is exactly what she needs.

\--

“Yoohoo, loser! There you are!” Leaf calls as she enters the pokemon center, waving and jogging towards Green. 

“Ugh, you again. I have a name, you know. It’s Green.” He says, obviously uninterested.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, I have some things to say to you so better sit down and listen.”

Green looks up at her. “And why should I care?”

“Well, if you want this pokedex you left at your grandfather’s…” She says, trailing off with a smirk as she waves the aforementioned pokedex in her hand.

Green tries to take it from her with a protest of “Hey!” but Leaf is quick, and manages to keep it out his reach. Eventually, he agrees.

“Good. Now, let me see the inside of your left wrist.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Leaf stares at him with fire in her eyes until Green sighs and does as he’s told, pulling up the watch he keeps his wrist covered up with. He turns his head to the side, looking at anything else. He wants to make it obvious how dreadfully bored by this interaction he is. He’s done this before - shown people his soulmate mark. He is confused the more he thinks about it, because there’s no way Leaf should know the location of his soulmate mark. And why would this girl he’s barely met have an interest in his? He’s known his supposed soulmate for ages - they grew up together.

Leaf gapes. She knew it. On Green’s wrist is a mark exactly like her own, although the image on his is much crisper. She feels absolutely giddy. “Interesting!”

“What, you’ve never seen a dude my age with a completed mark before?”

“It’s not that… it’s just… why is yours so much darker than mine already?” She asks, revealing her wrist. The image is the same, although the lines for half of the pokeball are very, very faint. 

Green looks smugger than ever, and with a ‘hmmph’ says: “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t be my soulmate.”

“And why not?”

“Because I’ve already met mine and everyone knows you only get one.”

Leaf’s eyes light up, and she does a little spin. “Don’t you know what this means?” She asks, excited.

He stares blankly.

“It means we’ve both got more than one soulmate! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Everyone always told me I was so wrong and just - I knew it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I just said everyone only gets one.”

“Nope, not us.” She grabs his wrist - there’s that spark of electricity again, she wonders if he feels it too - for a closer look at his mark. Just as she sees it, exactly what she was hoping for, he pulls away.

“Just give me my dex and leave me alone already, wouldja?”

“Not until you look closer at your mark!”

He sighs, and listens. He might as well get this over with, get his dex, and continue on with his life. He takes a cursory glance at it. “It’s the same as it’s always been.”

“Don’t you see it?” She asks. “Look even closer. It’s really faint, but it’s there.”

He sighs, and looks a little bit closer. She can tell by the alarm in his eyes that he sees it, too - the faintest zigzag outline surrounding the pokeball. 

“See?” She asks, pressing more. “I’m _right._ You know it.”

Green sighs. “Can I just have my dex, now?”

“Yeah, sure.” She agrees, handing the pokedex over to him. She makes sure her touch lingers, she feels the electricity shooting through her veins again and she’s so sure he feels it too. He has to. 

And then she’s happy to leave, humming as she exits the center.

Green might not want to admit it right now, but that’s okay. He’ll come around eventually, he just has to, and she’ll find her other soulmate. She just knows.

\--

Green doesn’t like the news that he has a second soulmate. What does that even mean? It’s impossible, ridiculous - not part of the plan at all. He’s known most of his life that Red’s meant to be his soulmate. Just Red, only Red.

He doesn’t really remember when their marks became clear and solid, but he’s known. Their families have known. It was just a fact of life - they’d been lucky, born in the same town, never having to search for one another. 

They never made it out to be anything special. They were just two people who were deeply linked, two people who understood each other in ways that nobody else could.

They rarely saw each other these days - Green swore they’d have to go off on their own journeys and become rivals before anything else. It was how Green wanted it, so they’d have time to discover themselves as trainers and as people before they met up again. For Green, it was the perfect plan.

But Leaf came in like a raging storm, all rain and thunder, ruining the foundations of everything Green knew to be true.

Part of him hated it, and part of him was impressed.

\--

Leaf trains relentlessly, battling trainer after trainer and gym after gym. She becomes just a bit touchy-feely, offering shoulder-touches and hugs and handshakes after pretty much every battle. She’s hoping she’ll feel that spark again, find her second soulmate. She helps people out where she can as well, anything to meet more people and find that predestined connection. 

But she never feels it, always finding herself disappointed for a brief moment. The disappointment always passes, though, as she fires herself up once again - she’s chasing a mirage of a person, sure, but the lack of any leads doesn’t stop her. The failures fuel her, much like the doubt of her parents once did.

She makes acquaintances and networks in almost every city she visits - strangers, she learns, really like it when you do favors for them - and it's nice to know she’s got a web of people behind her. She gives out her phone number to so many people (too many people) and tells them to call her if they meet anyone with a mark like hers. 

Sometimes they do, but it’s always about Green (who she never seems to run into). 

When the failures a little too much, even for her, she falls back onto her pokemon training. Her team is strong, a group of trustworthy partners - Venusaur, Butterfree, Clefairy, Gengar, Dewgong, Rapidash. They’re just like she is, relentlessly facing every obstacle. She does her best to be good to them, and they’re good to her in return. She loves having them by her side.

Months of training, searching, doing favors for the small towns without any strong trainers pass. Leaf finds herself almost bored - she keeps winning, oftentimes all too easily. She’s not sure if people are doubting her strength and going easy on her because she’s just shy of fourteen, or if she’s really just that strong.

She has passion, sure, but she really doesn’t believe she can be as strong as people make her out to be. 

Even when she beats Clair and earns her final badge, it doesn’t feel like something special. Her dewgong knows enough ice moves to cover her ground - nothing special at all. She has a type advantage, that’s all. 

She thinks Clair must feel the same, given the way the gym leader begrudgingly drops the rising badge into Leaf’s palm. 

\--

Throughout his journey, Green doesn’t sweep through the gyms as quickly as he’d like to - the occasional gym leader gives him trouble, but he always manages to prevail, to win the badges he so desperately desires. Strategy, he thinks, is on his side. 

Clair gives him one of the best battles he’s had in a while - he doesn’t plan for quite how strong dragons can be, and they’re both down to their last pokemon when a well-placed attack earns him his rising badge. 

“That was a respectable fight.” Clair admits as she hands over the badge, deciding that Green’s strategies were enough to earn her respect, something that didn’t happen to often these days. She’d given up her way of forcing winning challengers to earn her respect before giving them the badge months ago - too many scoldings from her grandfather and the Elite 4 about her “unsportsmanlike” behavior finally got through to her. (Really, it was the too-serious threat from Lance to force her resignation as a gym leader. She couldn’t have that.)

Her eyes narrow at Green as she notices his soulmate mark peeking out from beneath his watch. Bitterly, she says: “You know, a girl with the same mark challenged me the other day. I’m surprised you two aren’t travelling together.”

“I wanted to be myself for my journey,” Green says with a huff. “Thanks for the badge. Smell ya later!”

He practically runs out of the gym, annoyed. Everywhere he’s been, he’s been a step ahead of Red, but… so many people he ran into liked to tell him _Oh! Your soulmate’s looking for you, her name’s Leaf._ He’d taken to hiding his mark as much as possible, but Leaf’s influence was widespread and people were so, so nosy.

He couldn’t go anywhere without hearing her name, and he wondered what she was doing to make so many people interested in her soulmate search. He also wondered just how far ahead of him he was, but he had no way of actually knowing.

It was infuriating. 

\--

He spies her on victory road, napping with her venusaur behind her. He almost wants to ignore her, to keep on going - but he can’t. She’s been a ghost haunting him throughout all of his travels, and it’s time to face her. 

“Oi, battle me!” He says, shaking her awake. Leaf shifts, slowly opens her eyes. She’s startled by the contact, thinking for a moment that she’s in a dream but that familiar spark is all-too-real. She smiles when she sees Green in front of her.

“You’re on, _soulmate._ ” She says with a glint in her eyes. 

The battle enthralls her - she finds herself having difficulty, with several of her pokemon getting wiped out. It’s the first time in a long time she feels challenged. This is what she always thought battling was supposed to be like - a thrill, a risk, something without a predetermined outcome. 

But still, Green underestimates her just a little bit - and like every other battle, she wins. 

She sighs. Green is clearly in distress, sitting on a boulder with his head in his hands.

“How…?” He mumbles. “I can’t believe she… ugh!”

Leaf hops up on the rock next to him, forcing him to scoot over so she can sit too. “Hey,” she says gently. “That was the best battle I’ve had, well, this entire journey. Thanks!”

“Shut up, I don’t need pity from an idiot like you.”

“It’s not pity,” She says. “Besides, I’m disappointed too. I wanted you to win.”

Green looks at her incredulously. “Why?”

“Because winning all the time is boring,” She says with a shrug. “I’ve been feeling stagnant, it’s like… once you get so strong, it’s harder to find people who match your skill, right? And what are you supposed to do once you reach the top? Where do you go from there?”

“Heh,” Green says. “Never thought of it that way before. But I’m still going to become the champion, not even you can stop me.” 

“If that’s what you want, then that’s admirable.” Leaf says with a smile. “A goal’s a goal. So, can I convince you to tell me the name of our other soulmate?”

“Not a chance.”

“Ha,” Leaf says. “At least I got you to admit that you’re one of mine!”

“Hmmph,” Green whines, as he hops off of the rock. “I have pokemon to heal, a cave to get through, and a league to beat. Smell ya later!”

“Bye!” Leaf waves. “I’m gonna spend a while exploring every nook and cranny of this place, but I hope to be battling you for that champion spot later.”

\--

Green finds his way to the champion’s chair with a few days’ worth of struggle and a few rematches, but he’s surprised that he hasn’t seen Leaf through his entire challenge. He figures she must still be exploring victory road - something he doesn’t understand, as he just wanted to find his way past the imposing walls and to the Elite 4 as quickly as he could. 

He’s not so surprised when, hours after entering the hall of fame a challenger approaches.

But he is surprised that it’s not Leaf who approaches him, but Red.

He smirks, figuring it’s an easy fight. 

\--

Red is glad that he has his pokemon to travel with him - he often leaves them out of their pokeballs, walking beside them as he travels from town to town. His progress is a little slower than he’d like - language is a barrier wherever he goes, and so many trainers seem to hate him for never speaking. 

With his pokemon, though, he doesn’t need language to understand them. They grow close quickly, and he’s able to put signals to each move they know - and he’s able to trust them to make their own decisions in battle where necessary. 

People learn to avoid him, and he hears the whispers of him being nothing but a brooding weirdo. Some people challenge him, and he finds himself challenged but oftentimes winning. He never has the words to apologize, and he regrets the trail of teary-eyed youngsters who couldn’t win against him. Perhaps he should have held back, just a little. 

It’s a lonely path, and he misses Green more than he cares to admit. He wishes he could have convinced Green to travel together - but he couldn’t. He tries to convince himself he’s fine, but deep down he and his pokemon know the truth. 

He finds himself smiling for the first time in a long time on victory road, where he meets a girl named Leaf.

\--

“You!” Leaf yells, hopping down a ledge and pointing to a trainer in victory road she’s never seen before - a newbie to the place, she figures, because she’s been exploring for days. She knows which trainers like to hang around waiting for challengers and people who get lost trying to find their way out, and he definitely isn’t one of them. “Battle me!”

Nobody’s challenged Red with such gusto in a long time, and he happily nods. He thinks it should be fun. 

Leaf is intrigued by him, the way he communicates to his pokemon without sound She feels a thrill once again, electricity in the air between them. But not knowing what moves he plans to call out throws her off her game, she has to think and strategize as pokemon start to move rather than when she hears the attack. It’s a difference of only a few moments, but it’s enough.

For the first time in her journey, she loses. 

Red frowns, expecting her to be angry. They’re always angry. Or sad, would she be sad?

“Wow!” Leaf says, full of an energy that startles Red. “That was great! It’s about time someone finally beat me in a battle.”

Red stares - partly because he’s dumbfounded, partly because he couldn’t speak even if he had something to say. Leaf reaches out for a handshake, and he’s still confused but he’s not rude. He can’t remember the last time someone wanted to shake hands, but he does.

And he feels a spark.

Leaf does too, and her eyes grow wide with excitement. Before Red can do anything to stop her, she grabs his left arm, pulls down the glove, and stares.

“Finally...” She breathes - almost voiceless. This is what she’s been waiting for, the person she’s been searching for. She can’t believe it. “I finally found you! What’s your name, anyway?”

Red tries to process everything that’s happening, his head is abuzz with so many thoughts - who is this girl? why did we spark? what is she talking about? - and he almost doesn’t hear her question. He slowly points to the brim of his cap as an answer. 

“Red?” She asks, trying out the sound. “Is that it?”

He nods.

“I like that. Well, hi Red. My name’s Leaf and I’m one of your soulmates!” She says cheerily, revealing her wrist to him - the lines are still pretty faint, but they’re still there, and still matching Red’s. Still matching Green’s. And she knows, then and there, that she’s only got the two soulmates - she’d always known she had multiple, but never how many. Now she knows, and she’s so much giddier than she lets on.

Red smiles softly at her - this whole thing is weird, he was pretty sure everyone said you were only allowed one soulmate. But he felt the spark, saw the mark on Leaf’s wrist. He knows she isn’t lying, and he has no reason not to believe her. Two soul mates it is, even if it’s weird.

She smiles back and sits down, starting to heal her pokemon. He sits down next to her, and begins helping.

Leaf thinks it’s nice, and that she already likes Red much more than Green. At least one of her soulmates is decent!

After they finish up she awkwardly asks, “So you don’t talk, do you?”

He shakes his head. 

“Do you sign?”

Another shake.

“Carry around something to write on?”

Another shake.

She stares at him, scrutinizing him for a bit. She thinks he must be awfully lonely. She scoots closer to him, leans her head on his shoulder and lets the feeling of electricity run through her veins and down her spine. He’s surprised - this is hardly intimate, but it’s the most contact he’s had in a very long time - but he doesn’t move. 

They sit for a while, and Leaf realizes that Red can’t be the only one of them who is lonely - because she is, too. 

“Red?” She asks, her voice coming out a lot meeker than she anticipated. “Do you want to leave victory road together? I’ve been exploring for a few days now and I know the way out.”

He thinks about it for a moment - he’d originally wanted to find his way out on his own, he’s been self-sufficient so far. But Leaf’s offering him companionship and everything that Green never did. He nods. 

“Great!”

\--

Red isn’t surprised when Leaf is true to her word, and she gets them out of victory road - a lot quicker than he had expected, too. 

“You should go ahead and face the Elite 4 first,” Leaf says. “I’ll meet you at the end. And I’m not taking no for an answer, okay?”

Red agrees reluctantly - doubt flashes across his face- and Leaf reaches out to touch his shoulder. He wonders if she senses that he’s scared of what lies ahead. He wonders if she knows he’s worried that he won’t see her again.

“No matter how this goes, we’ll see each other again really soon, okay? If I fail and have to wait for you in this pokemon center, I will. I’m not going anywhere.”

He’s still reluctant - but in the short time he’s known Leaf, she hasn’t let him down. 

He works his way through the league - battle after battle, until he finds his way into the Champion’s chamber. He doesn’t realize that Leaf is trailing right behind him, slowed only by the time it takes the Elite 4 members to heal their pokemon after Red’s already creamed them. It makes her proud, and every match leaves her exhausted but convinced that she will be seeing Red at the end of her series of battles.

Eventually, she too makes it to the Champion’s chamber.

“Hi!” She says, breath heavy as she looks around the room. She’s surprised at the people she sees - not just Red, but Green and of course Lance, the man who led her here. It feels like she’s interrupting a moment, and she can tell that someone just won a battle. 

“So! Which one of you nerds am I facing?”

She looks between everyone, and nobody answers. Her only response is blank stares that are obscured by the tension threaded throughout the room.

“Someone tell me.”

Green sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair. 

“Red.” He says, tone harsh and mouth shut tightly. Leaf can tell he’s gritting his teeth. 

\--

Leaf fares better in this battle than in the first one she’d had with Red - she accounts it to being able to understand his style now, to being able to understand the commands he gives his pokemon. 

She knows he’s not going easy on her - if anything, he’s fighting more fiercely than they had in victory road - but Leaf is too. She’s knocked out five of Red’s pokemon, bringing him down to his Charizard.

He’s only knocked out three of hers.

The win is hers unless he turns it around - which is possible, but Leaf’s still got her dewgong behind her, a level match and a type advantage. She knows it’s hers, and everyone else can tell it is too.

She reaches for her pokeballs to switch out, pauses and with a shake of her head - “I forfeit. This ends my league challenge.”

Red stares. Green gapes. Lance shuts his eyes and sighs. He’s been acting champion for so long, and nobody’s made it this far in a long time - but in the past two days, these three young teenagers have taken the Elite 4 by storm. All three of them could be a champion, and here Leaf is, giving it up. He’ confused, a little tired of being beaten so many times in a row, and intrigued.

“Don’t be an idiot, Leaf,” Green says. “You can’t just forfeit!”

“Sure I can. Just watch me,” She says, pulling out one of her pokeballs with fire in her eyes. “Venusaur, return.”

Red calls his charizard back and tilts his head at her, a silent _why._

“This isn’t what I want,” She explains, moving towards Red as she speaks. “I wanted two things out of my pokemon journey. One was to be strong, and I don’t need to be a champion to know that. The other thing was to find my soulmates, and well-”

She grabs Red by the hand, and leads him towards the side. She stands next to Green, situating herself perfectly between them. She grabs both of their hands and lets the electricity jolt through her once again. It’s stronger this time, touching both of them at once. She thinks it feels whole, like they’re a completed circuit. She keeps her grip firm on Green, even though he tries to tug away.

“-even if one of them,” She continues, giving a pointed glance at Green. “Doesn’t want to admit it, I’ve found them. Both of them, despite everyone’s insistence that I only had one. And that’s enough for me.”

Green finally manages to pulls away with a “Tch, you’re still going on about that nonsense? And giving up your shot to be champion?”

Leaf shrugs. “I’m not going to take away being champion from someone who wants it more than me. Do you care about anything other than winning, Green?”

He looks angry, and he’s about to respond when Lance steps between them all. 

“I don’t fully understand what’s going on here, and it’s none of my business - but since there’s no pokemon battle happening…. It’s time Red gets inducted into the hall of fame. Leaf, Green, you can continue your quarreling elsewhere.

Leaf reluctantly disentangles her fingers from Red’s. He frowns, like Leaf’s going to slip away from him, like Green’s going to continue slipping away as he has been all year. 

“We’ll be waiting in the pokemon center.” She says, leaving Green no room to protest. She waves at Red, and starts walking out the door. She looks behind her to make sure Green is following, and thankfully, he is.

\--

“You’re a crappy soulmate to both of us, aren’t you?” She says as soon as they’re sitting in a cushioned sofa at the center. 

“What?” He hisses.

“You heard me. You’re a crappy soulmate.”

“Shut up, you hardly even _know_ me.”

“I know enough to know that I find you annoying and arrogant-”

“Gee, who’s the crappy soulmate now?”

Leaf shakes her head. “-I also know enough that I’m sure that thought’ll change eventually. But right now, you don’t care about anyone other than yourself.”

He quirks an eyebrow. “And you do?” 

“Yeah,” She says. “Yeah I do. I might have selfish motivations a lot of the time, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about people. Tell me, when was the last time you did anything for Red?”

“Red and I have been rivals my whole journey. I was always a step ahead of him, we always pushed each other to keep going.”

“But did he want that?”

“Of course he did!”

Leaf sighs, shaking her head once again. “Green, he’s lonely.”

“A guy like Red? No way. He’s always been capable.”

“I know he’s capable, but that doesn’t mean he’s not lonely. I don’t know how long you’ve known each other, but it was obviously enough to keep your mark solid all this time… you didn’t leave him behind for his sake, you did it for you.”

“Shut up!”

And then it hits her. “You’re lonely too, aren’t you?”

He frowns, stays silent. He doesn’t like that Leaf’s pegged him so quickly, pointing out what he’s always so quick to hide beneath knowledge, feigned confidence and strategy. It’s always been lonely being him, trying to make a name for himself without attachment to the Oak family name, trying to figure out who Green, just Green, is. It’s why he was so determined that he didn’t need friends to become the champion.

“Look, Green,” She says. “I don’t know your history, and I’ll never force something like that out of you… but we’ve all been lonely. But you’re stuck with me now, that’s what soulmates are for.”

“And what if I don’t want to be stuck with you?”

“Too bad!” She says cheekily. She dares to shift so her feet are up, using Green’s lap as a footrest and the arm of the sofa as her backrest. He glares, but doesn’t move her. 

They sit in silence, Leaf staring at the door for Red to come back and Green shifting his gaze between the door and Leaf.

Eventually Red comes in, and Leaf shifts so there’s enough room for him between her and Green. He looks relieved that they both were still there.

“Hi again!” She says, waving and gesturing for Red to sit down. “See? I told you I’m not going anywhere.”

He grins, taking the seat. Leaf reaches out for him, wrapping an arm around his waist. She’s a little surprised to see Green weave an arm behind Red’s neck, resting his hand on the other boy’s shoulder. 

Leaf smiles at them both, and in that moment she’s the happiest she’ve ever been. She’s got both her soulmates by her side, and none of them need to be lonely anymore.


End file.
